Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - petiole

 noun  Etymology: New Latin petiolus, from Latin petiolus, peciolus small foot, fruit stalk, probably alteration of Latin *pediciolus, diminutive of pediculus, diminutive of ped-, pes foot — more at foot  Date: 1753  1. a slender stem that supports the blade of a foliage leaf  2. peduncle; specifically a slender abdominal segment joining the rest of the abdomen to the thorax in some insects  • ~d adjective